CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF RHODEISLAND AND PROVIDENCEPLANTATIONS

PREAMBLE

We, the people of the State of Rhode Island and ProvidencePlantations, grateful to Almighty God for
the civil and religious libertywhich Hehathsolongpermittedustoenjoy,andlookingtoHimforablessing uponourendeavorstosecureandtotransmitthesame,unimpaired,to succeedinggenerations,doordainandestablishthisConstitutionof government.

ARTICLEI

DECLARATION OF CERTAIN CONSTITUTIONALRIGHTS ANDPRINCIPLES

In order
effectually to secure the religious and politicalfreedom established by our venerated ancestors, and to preserve
the samefor our posterity, we do declare that the
essential andunquestionable rightsandprincipleshereinaftermentionedshallbeestablished,maintained,andpreserved,andshallbeofparamountobligationinall legislative, judicial and executiveproceedings.

Section 1. Right to make and
alter Constitution —Constitution obligatory
uponall.

In the
words of the Father of his Country, we
declare that ‘‘thebasis ofourpoliticalsystemsistherightofthepeopletomakeandaltertheir constitutionsofgovernment;butthattheconstitutionwhichatany time exists, till changed by an
explicit and authentic act of thewhole
people, is sacredly obligatory uponall.’’

Section2.Lawsforgoodofwhole—Burdenstobeequally distributed—Dueprocess—Equalprotection— Discrimination — No right to abortiongranted.

Allfreegovernmentsareinstitutedfortheprotection,safety,and happinessofthepeople.Alllaws,therefore,shouldbemadeforthegood
of the whole; and the burdens of the state ought to be fairlydistributed among its citizens. No
person shall be deprived of life, libertyor
propertywithoutdueprocessoflaw,norshallanypersonbedenied
equalprotectionofthelaws.Nootherwisequalifiedpersonshall,solely
byreasonofrace,genderorhandicapbesubjecttodiscriminationby thestate,itsagentsoranypersonorentitydoingbusinesswiththe state. Nothing in
this section shall be construed to grant or secureany right relating to abortion or the funding thereof.

Section 3.Freedom ofreligion.

Whereas
Almighty God hath created the mind free; and allattempts toinfluenceitbytemporalpunishmentsorburdens,orbycivilincapacitations,
tend to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness;and whereasaprincipalobjectofourvenerableancestors,intheirmigration tothiscountryandtheirsettlementofthisstate,was,astheyexpressed it,toholdforthalivelyexperimentthataflourishingcivilstatemay standandbebestmaintainedwithfulllibertyinreligiousconcernments;we,therefore,declarethatnopersonshallbecompelledto frequent or to support any religious worship, place, or
ministry

whatever, except in fulfillment of such
person’s voluntary contract;nor enforced,
restrained, molested, or burdened in body or goods;nor disqualified from holding any office; nor otherwise suffer on accountof suchperson’sreligiousbelief;andthateverypersonshallbefreeto worship God according to the dictates
of such person’s conscience,and to
profess and by argument to maintain such person’s opinionin matters of religion; and that the same shall
in no wisediminish, enlarge, or
affect the civil capacity of any person.

Section 4.Slaveryprohibited.

Slavery
shall not be permitted in this state.

Section 5. Entitlement to
remedies for injuries and wrongs— Right
tojustice.

Everypersonwithinthisstateoughttofindacertainremedy,by havingrecoursetothelaws,forallinjuriesorwrongswhichmaybe received in one’s person, property, or character. Every person oughtto obtain right and justice freely, and without purchase, completelyand without denial; promptly and without
delay; conformably to the laws.

Section 6.Search andseizure.

Therightofthepeopletobesecureintheirpersons,papersand
possessions, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall notbe violated; and no warrant shall issue,
but on complaint in writing,upon probablecause,supportedbyoathoraffirmation,anddescribingas nearly as may be, the place to be
searched and the persons or thingsto
beseized.

Exceptincasesofimpeachment,orincasesarisinginthelandor naval forces, or in the militia when
in actual service in time of waror public
danger, no person shall be held to
answer for any offensewhich is
punishable by death or by imprisonment for life unless onpresentmentorindictmentbyagrandjury,andnopersonshallbeheldto
answer for any other felony unless on presentment or indictment bya grand jury or on information in writing
signed by theattorney-general or
one of the attorney-general’s designated assistants, as thegeneral assembly may provide and in
accordance with procedures enactedby
the general assembly. The general
assembly may authorize theimpanelingofgrandjurieswithauthoritytoindictforoffensescommittedany placewithinthestateanditmayprovidethatmorethanonegrandjury may sit simultaneously within a county.
No person shall be subjectfor the
same offense to be twice put in jeopardy. Nothing
contained inthis article shall be
construed as in any wise impairing theinherent
common law powers of the grand jury.

Section 8.Bail, fines andpunishments.

Section 9.Right to bail — Habeascorpus.

All
persons imprisoned ought to be bailed by sufficient surety,unless for
offenses punishable by imprisonment for life, or for offensesinvolvingtheuseorthreatofuseofadangerousweaponbyonealready
convicted of such offense or already convicted of an offensepunishable byimprisonmentforlife,orforoffensesinvolvingtheunlawfulsale, distribution, manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent tomanufacture, sell, distribute or deliver
any controlled substance orby possession
of a controlled substance punishable by imprisonmentfor ten (10) years or more, when the proof of guilt is evident
orthe presumption great. Nothing in
this section shall be construed toconfer
a right to bail, pending appeal of a conviction. The privilege of thewrit of habeas corpus shall not be
suspended, unless when in casesof rebellionorinvasion,thepublicsafetyshallrequireit;noreverwithout
the authority of the generalassembly.

Section 10.Rights of accused persons in criminalproceedings.

In all
criminal prosecutions, accused persons shall enjoy the rightto aspeedyandpublictrial,byanimpartialjury;tobeinformedofthe
natureandcauseoftheaccusation,tobeconfrontedwiththewitnesses against them, to have compulsory
process for obtaining them intheir favor, to have the assistance of counsel
in their defense, and shall beat libertytospeakforthemselves;norshalltheybedeprivedoflife,liberty,
orproperty,unlessbythejudgmentoftheirpeers,orthelawoftheland.

Section 11.Relief of debtors fromprison.

Thepersonofadebtor,when there isnotstrongpresumptionoffraud, ought not to
be continued in prison, after such person shallhave delivered up property for the benefit of said person’s
creditors, insuch manner as shall be
prescribed by law.

Section 13.Self-crimination.

No person
in a court of common law shall be compelled togive self-criminatingevidence.

Section 14. Presumption of
innocence — Securing accusedpersons.

Every
person being presumed innocent, until pronounced guiltyby the law, no act of
severity which is not necessary to secure anaccused person shall bepermitted.

Section 15.Trial byjury.

Therightoftrialbyjuryshallremaininviolate.Incivilcasesthe
general assembly may fix the size of the petit jury at less thantwelve but not less thansix.

Section16.Compensationfortakingofprivatepropertyfor public use — Regulation of fishery rights andshore privileges not publictaking.

Privatepropertyshallnotbetakenforpublicuses,withoutjust compensation.Thepowersofthestateandofitsmunicipalitiesto regulateandcontroltheuseoflandandwatersinthefurtheranceofthe preservation,regeneration,andrestorationofthenaturalenvironment, and in furtherance of the protection of the rights of the
people toenjoy and freely exercise
the rights of fishery and the privileges of theshore, asthoserightsanddutiesaresetforthinSection17,shallbean
exercise of the police powers of the state, shall be liberallyconstrued, and shall not be deemed to be
a public use of private property.

Thepeopleshallcontinuetoenjoyandfreelyexercisealltherightsof fishery, and the privileges of the shore,
to which they havebeen heretoforeentitledunderthecharterandusagesofthisstate,including butnotlimitedtofishingfromtheshore,thegatheringofseaweed, leaving the shore
to swim in the sea and passage along the shore;and theyshallbesecureintheirrightstotheuseandenjoymentofthe
natural resources of the state with due regard for the preservation of theirvalues;anditshallbethedutyofthegeneralassemblytoprovide for the conservation of the air, land, water, plant, animal, mineraland other natural resources of the state, and to adopt all means
necessary and proper by law to protect the natural environment of the peopleof the state by providing adequate
resource planning for the controland
regulationoftheuseofthenaturalresourcesofthestateandforthe
preservation, regeneration and restoration of the naturalenvironment of thestate.

Section 18. Subordination of
military to civil authority —Martiallaw.

The
military shall be held in strict subordination to the civilauthority.
And the law martial shall be used and exercised in such casesonly as occasion shall necessarilyrequire.

Section 19.Quartering ofsoldiers.

No soldier
shall be quartered in any house in time of peace,without theconsentoftheowner;nor,intimeofwar,butinmannertobe
prescribed bylaw.

Section 20.Freedom ofpress.

The
liberty of the press being essential to the security of freedomin a state, any person may publish
sentiments on any subject,being responsible
for the abuse of that liberty; and in all trials for libel,both civil and criminal, the truth,
unless published from maliciousmotives,
shall be sufficient defense to the personcharged.

Thecitizenshavearightinapeaceablemannertoassemblefortheir
common good, and to apply to those invested with the powersof government,forredressofgrievances,orforotherpurposes,bypetition, address,orremonstrance.Nolawabridgingthefreedomofspeechshall beenacted.

Section 22.Right to beararms.

The right
of the people to keep and bear arms shall not beinfringed.

Section 23.Rights of victims ofcrime.

A victim
of crime shall, as a matter of right, be treated by agentsof the state with dignity, respect and sensitivity during all phases ofthe criminal justice process. Such person
shall be entitled to receive,from the
perpetrator of the crime, financial compensation for any injuryor losscausedbytheperpetratorofthecrime,andshallreceivesuchother
compensationasthestatemayprovide.Beforesentencing,avictim
shallhavetherighttoaddressthecourtregardingtheimpactwhichthe perpetrator’s conduct has had upon thevictim.

Theenumerationoftheforegoingrightsshallnotbeconstruedto impairordenyothersretainedbythepeople.Therightsguaranteedby this
Constitution are not dependent on those guaranteed bythe Constitution of the UnitedStates.